Evanescent Love
by silverlinen
Summary: Based on Warriors by Erin Hunter. Mistpaw finds herself in a battle in which she can only lose. Will she choose friendship with Streamfur and her lifelong dream, or trade it all for love? ALSO: Winterkit is born. Her story is in progress as well.


((Welcome to my story: Evanescent Love. It's based on the Warriors series by Erin Hunter (if you haven't read those books, you must, oh you must). The clan is WaveClan and the setting is identical to ThunderClan's. The other clans are StormClan (whose setting is also like WaveClan's/ThunderClan's), FireClan (similar to ShadowClan), and EveClan (a portion is in a territory similar to FireClan's/ShadowClan's and a large portion is like RiverClan's). This is my first story in FanFiction, and it's definitely not my best work, though I love it anyway. More stories taking place in WaveClan, StormClan, FireClan, and EveClan will be added later.))

"Celandine," mewed Duskpelt.

A misty-colored she-cat clamped a bundle of leaves in her jaws and set it before Duskpelt's feet.

"Thank you," the calico purred. "You're doing very well recognizing the medicines."  
Mistpaw's green eyes gleamed in delight as her mentor praised her.

"Now, if you'll just fetch some borage leaves for Sunfly, you can spend the rest of the day doing whatever you wish," Duskpelt meowed.

"Sure!" Mistpaw snatched the medicine Duskpelt had described and hurried over to a yellow tabby she-cat lying on a bit of moss in the corner of the den. "Here you are, Sunfly. This will help your bellyache," she mewed gently, prodding the borage leaves toward her.

"Ah, thank you. I need it." Without further ado, Sunfly began to lick up the herb.

Mistpaw smiled. "Good. You should be better before sundown. It's important that you're fit to deliver those kits." She motioned toward Sunfly's stomach.

"I know." The she-cat sighed. "Mousetail's been worried about me." She sounded slightly agitated, though added a touch of affection as she spoke her companion's name.

The medicine cat apprentice nodded before mewing in farewell, "I'll leave you to sleep." As she passed Duskpelt on her way out the den, she called, "Bye!" Duskpelt blinked contently in response.

"Urf! Hey!" A large black tom had collided with Mistpaw, causing them both to stumble. "Watch it, would you?" he hissed.

Mistpaw's ears reddened. It was Spiderpaw, whose sharp tongue and cruel demeanor earned him few friends. "Sorry," she murmured.

As Spiderpaw looked up to the sound of her voice, he looked shocked. Paralyzed. "Oh, hi, Mistpaw. It's-it's okay." Without another word, he swept past her and fled into the medicine cat's den. Mistpaw heard him speaking in low, urgent tones to Duskpelt -- she shrugged and continued on her way to the fresh-kill pile

"Mistpaw!" Running toward her was a beautiful silver tabby, grinning from ear to ear.

"Streamfur!" The darker gray she-cat greeted her friend with swift licks upon her pelt. "How does it feel to be a warrior now?"

"I don't feel any different, to be honest. But sitting vigil..." Streamfur shuddered. "StarClan couldn't think of anything more _boring_."

Mistpaw chuckled. Her best friend, whom she had known since they were both mewling kits in the nursery, had not changed one bit due to becoming a warrior.

"I suppose you must be waiting for your own ceremony." Streamfur's expression was sympathetic.

"I can wait." Mistpaw did her best to sound sincere. In truth, she was disappointed with Duskpelt for making her wait so long. Duskpelt was kind, a good friend and medicine cat, and the perfect mentor. It was unlike her to force Mistpaw to wait for something she desired so much.

Streamfur rolled her eyes. "Is that so?"  
Mistpaw opened her mouth to answer, but before she had uttered even one syllable, Spiderpaw appeared beside her. "Eyes one during if uwan to goath me honor hunning trih," he blurted out.

Mistpaw and Streamfur exchanged confused glances. "Eyes what?" Streamfur chortled.

"I-was-wondering-if-you-wanted-to-go-with-me-on-a-hunting-trip," he repeated, careful to pronounce each word slowly and with emphasis.

"Sure," Streamfur mewed. "We'd love to." Mistpaw sent her a silent what-are-you-thinking message, but her friend pointedly ignored it.

Spiderpaw purred (_Spiderpaw can purr?_ thought Mistpaw). "Excellent. Where to?" he asked.

"Near the border of StormClan, I think," suggested Streamfur.

"Do you remember what happened _last time_ we hunted near StormClan?" Mistpaw growled.

Spiderpaw nodded unhappily. It seemed Goldenstar, the StormClan leader, had been in an extremely bad mood that day, as she had sent her warriors to attack the 'invaders', although they had never truly crossed the border.

"Well, I have a brilliant idea," Streamfur mewed, adding her usual sarcasm. "Why don't we stay a few fox-lengths away from the border?"  
Mistpaw laughed, ad several moments after she had done so, Spiderpaw broke out in a fit of laughter. "Hahahaha!" he purred. The two she-cats looked deeply disturbed by this outbreak -- Spiderpaw stopped abruptly. "Let's just go," he mumbled.

"Good evening, Mistpaw." Duskpelt's bright blue eyes did not stray from her stock of herbs; she had seemed to sense her apprentice entering the den.

Silence.

"Mistpaw?"  
The gray she-cat finally looked up at Duskpelt. "Good evening, Duskpelt."

"That's better," she purred. "That's more like the Mistpaw I've known so long. Now tell me: what's wrong?"  
Again, silence.

"My dear, you are obviously very upset about something. However, as I see no dead bodies lying upon the ground and you look perfectly healthy, you have no reason to be sulking."

"You wouldn't understand, Duskpelt."

Duskpelt's whiskers twitched. "Hmm. Well, I rather think I would," she meowed stubbornly.

"Fine. I spent the entire day with Streamfur and Spiderpaw, hunting."  
"Is that all?" The medicine cat laughed.

"I wasn't done!" she protested. Mistpaw then continued to tell her mentor how strange the two cats' behaviors were once they had left camp.

Duskpelt sighed. "Mistpaw, Mistpaw... It seems Streamfur has fallen for Spiderpaw."  
"Why would she?" she grumbled.

"Don't ask me how love works." She half-smiled. It was a sad smile, yet a kind one nevertheless.

"I suppose I'll never know, either," Mistpaw mewed. The warrior code, which every cat in WaveClan and the entire population of Clan-cats in the forest knew, forbid medicine cats to have mates.

Duskpelt said nothing, but had a glint in her eyes as if she knew something Mistpaw did not.


End file.
